BYU Goes to California

PROVO -- Two teams await the No. 31 BYU men’s tennis team in Southern California this weekend. The Cougars will play their last nonconference matches against UC Santa Barbara and Loyola Marymount.

“Good players like to compete,” BYU coach Brad Pearce said. “We’re looking forward to going down there and playing. Hopefully we’ll have a successful weekend.”

In its last outing, BYU rebounded from a loss to Nebraska with a 6-1 rout of No. 58 San Diego. The team improved to 14-3 on the season with the win and senior Cassidy Mears was honored as the Mountain West Conference Men’s Tennis Player of the Week.

“We’re glad to have been outside the last couple of days,” Pearce said. “We’ll be at sea level this weekend and conditions will be slower but we’ll be well-prepared.”

First up for the Cougars will be UCSB (5-7). The Gauchos have entered the rankings twice this year but do not currently grace the charts. BYU defeated Santa Barbara 5-2 at home Feb. 6 of this year. The Gauchos’ latest result was a 6-1 loss to No. 19 Washington Tuesday.

Saturday the Cougars will face Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles. The Lions own a 6-8 record after losing to 4-3 in their last match. Last season, BYU swept LMU 7-0 at home.

“We’re not taking Santa Barbara or Loyola Marymount lightly,” Pearce said. “This will be good preparation for playing outdoors the rest of the season.”

Friday’s match will begin at noon PT at the Recreation Center Courts in Santa Barbara, Calif. Saturday’s contest will take place at 9:30 a.m. PT at the LMU Tennis Center in Los Angeles. Live stats will be available for the match against Loyola Marymount. To follow along, click here.